Recent Lake Pleasant conditions/reports

[PhxSki]

Great day of diving with Mike (Rudebob) and Steve (Scubasteve2000).

I dove Scorpion Bay once alittle over 4 years ago before they closed the site in order to build the marina. The site is a relatively small bay to the immediate southeast of the marina which, at one time, was open to the public however, is now accessible only by boat. Lots of structure and very impressive vertical walls.

Always a pleasure diving with Mike and Steve.

BW

 

[Jax]

Pssst - - - anyone want to give up the lake water temps?

 

[PhxSki]

The surface water at Vista Point this morning was 73 degrees. The thermocline is right at 31 feet.

 

[ScubaSteve2000]

This was probably the last 7mm dive of the season. We'll stay at or above the thermocline until the weather cools down a bit or the vis deteriorates so much that we may as well go deep and try to get under the muck. For now most of the fish are hanging out there. When in Rome...
The coolest thing I saw yesterday was a bigass catfish laying in wait in the back of a cavelett. That bad boy was big enough to make me worry if he was to take a liking to my big yellow splits. As I swam away I lost track of Bill. I turned back convinced I would see half of him sticking out of the catfish's mouth. Not to worry though. Bill was safe, sound and whole when I found him a few seconds later.

 

[pdelannoy]

Just got back in town. Anybody out this weekend? Has the water level dropped substantially? At Vista Point, is the tree sticking out of the water yet near shore?

PD

 

[ScubaSteve2000]

Just got back in town. Anybody out this weekend? Has the water level dropped substantially? At Vista Point, is the tree sticking out of the water yet near shore?

PD

Hey! welcome back, Pete. We followed your travels on Facebook. I haven't been to VP for a couple of weeks but I don't think the tree is sticking out of the water yet. Temp is in the mid 70's from surface to about 30 feet. Then cools a bit as you pass through the thermocline. I'll bet it's still in the upper 50s to lower 60s at 70+ feet though. You'll need lights as it's yucky between about 40 feet to 70-80 feet.
So the best vis is still deep, dark and cold. My favorite diving conditions.

When last I looked, your lines were still there.

Steve.

 

[pdelannoy]

Thanks for the update. I'll be diving out there tomorrow.

PD

 

[pdelannoy]

Lake is down at least twenty feet since my last dive about one month ago. At Vista Point the temps were 84 degrees in the shallows and in the deeps under the thermoclines the temp is up to 54 degrees. Vis was patchy at all depths. I ran a circuit out to the far end of the wall along Bladerunner to the Catwalk to Death Valley and then across the Barrow Downs back to the Bladerunner. Eighty minute run time with oxy deco.

As I was leaving, a camper pulled in and set up near the table so anyone heading out tomorrow should be prepared for a crowded site-they were not divers.

PD

 

[pdelannoy]

I dove today at Vista Point. It has been about 3 weeks since I was last there. The water level is down the lowest that I have ever seen it. I also saw someone affiliated with the Academy of Scuba who told me that "they-whoever manages the water" might be dropping the lake another 25 feet for maintenance of the dam. For the most part the vis is really bad. In the shallows, above twenty feet, you can see maybe ten or fifteen feet. Anything deeper is mostly by brail though sometimes you hit patches that open to 5-10 feet. The temps in the shallows were about 86F and at 100 feet, 63F. And lastly, the walk down is definitley ferrying loads if you are packing anything other than a rec package.

I made two dives. One was tech for 72 minutes with a short deco obligation. Actually, even with the conditions the way they are, one of the best dives this year. If anything, Lake Pleasant offers an amazing dive environment for those who want it.

PD

 

[ScubaSteve2000]

Sounds like we'll be diving by braille real soon. Time to work on our nav skills. Part of the Blade Runner course will soon be a hike. The x-mas trees at Beismeyer Point (Sunset Cove) will probably be exposed unless somebody drags them deeper. Hmmm.